Response to an Inoperative Network Device Managed by a Controller

1. A method comprising: through a controller that manages network devices in a communication network: detecting an inoperative network device among the network devices managed by the controller, and in response: accessing a network topology for the communication network to identify a data route that passes through the inoperative network device; and altering the data route to pass through the controller itself instead of the inoperative network device, wherein altering the data route comprises: identifying a particular network device adjacent to the inoperative network device on the data route; and configuring the particular network device to transmit packet data for the data route to the controller instead of the inoperative network device, wherein configuring the particular network device comprises instructing the particular network device to transmit the packet data for the data route through a control plane connection with the controller.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein configuring the particular network device comprises sending a configuration instruction to the particular network device to alter a next hop destination for the data route to the controller instead of the inoperative network device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the inoperative network device comprises any combination of: receiving a link lost message from another network device communicatively coupled to the inoperative network device; and determining the inoperative network device has not transmitted a response to a polling message within a response time limit.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: sending a network protocol message to other network devices in place of the inoperative network device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein altering the data route further comprises bypassing a network device in the data route different from the inoperative network device.

6. A system comprising: a controller to: detect an inoperative network device in a communication network managed by the controller, and in response: access a network topology to identify a data route that includes the inoperative network device; determine an altered data route by replacing the inoperative network device in the data route with the controller itself; and implement the altered data route by instructing an adjacent network device previous to the inoperative network device in the data route to transmit data for the data route to the controller instead of the inoperative network device, wherein the controller is to instruct the adjacent network device further to transmit packet data for the altered data route through a control plane connection with the controller.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the controller is to detect the inoperative network device by determining at least one of the following inoperative device criterion are satisfied: receiving a link lost message from another network device communicatively coupled to the inoperative network device; and determining the inoperative network device has not transmitted a response to a polling message within a response time limit.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the controller is to determine the altered data route to bypass a network device in the data route different from the inoperative network device.

9. A product comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions to: detect an inoperative network device in a communication network managed by a controller, and in response: determine a network switching function assigned to the inoperative network device, wherein the network switching function comprises routing data in a data route that passes through the inoperative network device; provide the network switching function through the controller itself by determining an altered data route that passes through the controller instead of the inoperative network device; and instruct an adjacent network device previous to the inoperative network device in the data route to transmit packet data for the altered data route through a control plane connection with the controller.

10. The product of claim 9 , wherein the altered data route comprises a communication link across a data plane as well as a communication link across a control plane.

11. A product comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions to: detect an inoperative network device in a communication network managed by a controller, and in response: determine a network switching function assigned to the inoperative network device, wherein the network switching function comprises routing data in a data route that passes through the inoperative network device; provide the network switching function through the controller itself by determining an altered data route that passes through the controller instead of the inoperative network device, wherein the altered data route comprises a communication link across a data plane as well as a communication link across a control plane.